Report: Top House Republican Jason Chaffetz may be joining Fox News

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May 15, 2017 3:27 PM

"Let's just say that when Jason told us he was headed to Fox, no one was surprised."

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Jason Chaffetz may take on a role at Fox News, according to a Washingtonian report.

Chaffetz announced in April that he would not be seeking reelection, and there was brief speculation that he would run for governor — his website, jasoninthehouse.com, redirected to jasonforgovernor.com, though both have now been shut down.

However, the Washingtonian, citing two anonymous Republican lawmakers and four House Republican aides, reported that Chaffetz may be planning instead to take on a "substantial role" at Fox as early as July.

"Let's just say that when Jason told us he was headed to Fox, no one was surprised," a senior House Republican aide told the Washingtonian.

Another aide told the Washingtonian that Chaffetz is "probably one of the most media-capable members in the House, just based on total time spent on a television camera."

Chaffetz has been a frequent guest on Fox News over the last few years. Prior to the 2016 election, he often appeared to criticize former President Barack Obama's agenda, and as the 2016 election kicked off, he directed his aim at former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Fox News did not immediately return a request for comment regarding Chaffetz's potential role at the network.

Fox recently saw a huge shakeup in its staff after former host Bill O'Reilly was ousted following multiple accusations of sexual harassment. Network co-president Bill Shine resigned shortly after, and the reshuffled primetime lineup included Tucker Carlson taking over O'Reilly's 8 p.m. time slot, "The Five" host Eric Bolling co-hosting "The Fox News Specialists" with two other co-hosts, and "The Five" being moved to the 9 p.m. slot.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Eric Bolling did not get his own show, and instead co-hosts "The Fox News Specialists" with Katherine Timpf and Eboni K. Williams.

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